The production of cheese from dried milk is well known. This way of producing cheeses is particularly advantageous because it makes it possible to dissociate in time and place the production of cheeses from the supply of fresh milk. This makes possible in particular the production of cheese according to demand and/or in regions not having their own milk sources.
The known methods for producing cheese from powdered milk are fast methods that produce cheese in only a few steps: mix powdered milk with water, solutions of acids or of fat, optional addition of enzymes, heating of the resulting mixture, addition of various additives. Generally, the cheeses thus produced are fresh or processed cheeses.
The document EP 1 788 884 B1, however, discloses the production of a traditional- or ripened-type cheese implementing lactose-depleted milk protein concentrates, thus avoiding a step of separating the whey formed.
Also known is WO 2009/150183 A1, which discloses the production of calcium-depleted milk protein concentrates using a calcium sequestrant added to skimmed milk or to the permeate resulting from the microfiltration of skimmed milk, such as citric acid or sodium citrate. The powdered protein concentrates thus have calcium and phosphate contents determined for the preparation of a liquid pre-cheese allowing the calcium phosphate, and thus the pH and the buffer capacity of the cheese to be controlled at levels that do not lead to a significant development of cultures and thus to the formation of a bitter cheese. Calcium-depleted milk protein concentrates can have a ratio of calcium to total nitrogenous matter (TNM) between 0.1% and 4%. The latter value of 4% is very high and would correspond to a milk protein concentrate the calcium value of which has not been modified. Indeed, the weight ratio of calcium to TNM in a milk protein concentrate not having undergone an acidification step to release calcium is normally around 3% and above.
WO 2009/150183 also discloses the production of cheeses which would be produced from milk protein concentrates having undergone the addition of calcium sequestrant(s) during their synthesis. Nevertheless, two cheeses tested, NCTP1 and NCTP2, have high final weight ratios of calcium to TNM of 3.36% and 3.26%, which correspond to the use of milk protein concentrates the weight proportion of calcium of which have not been lowered. Moreover, the spreading value obtained in Table 4 for a cheese having a dry extract of 51% is 116%. This value is low, even insignificant, since the standard deviation of this value is generally about ±15%. The cheeses produced thus do not have satisfactory spreading properties with a high dry extract.
WO 02/082917 A1 discloses the production of milk protein concentrates the calcium content of which has been modified, and the use thereof in the production of gels. Example 10 does not relate to the production of a cheese since no coagulating enzyme is added to the dough. Only lactic acid as an acidifying agent is added to the dough, which seems equivalent to an increase in mass such as that produced for a yogurt. Moreover, the stirring speed is 120 rpm, which does not provide good hydration and good emulsification of milk proteins. Example 10 thus refers to the consistency of the product produced and not to its spreading and/or stretching when cooked.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,460,609 discloses the production of a mozzarella-type cheese from milk protein concentrates the calcium content of which has not been modified, and requiring a whey separation step. However, the aim of the present invention is to avoid any separation step. U.S. Pat. No. 4,419,943 discloses the production of a mozzarella-type cheese from protein concentrates undergoing an acidification step for adjusting the proportion of calcium bound to the casein in order to carry out subsequent distinct operations on the casein and the whey proteins, in particular concentrating the latter and modifying the whey proteins by proteolysis.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,419,943 discloses the production of a cheese from milk protein concentrates whose proportion of calcium to TNM, i.e., comprising soluble calcium and insoluble calcium, has not been modified.